Four-point pitching horseshoe



NOV. 3, 1936. w E MADISON 2,059,378

FOUR-POINT PITCHING HORSESHOE Filed April 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l 715m Mai/8070 INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS Nov. 3, 1936. w. F. MADISON 2,059,378

FOUR-PO INT PITCHING HORSESHOE Filed April 29, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 WmFMMpiS-M/ 6' Z6 Z7 INVENTOR 2 m ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1936 ilNi'TED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

2 Claims.

This invention relates to pitching horseshoes and has for an object to provide a shoe having hooks intermediate the toe and heel of the shoe adapted to form a separate compartment at the toe of the shoe for receiving the target stake and preventing escape of the shoe from the stake.

A further object is to provide a pitching horseshoe having hooks at the heel of the shoe as well as at the centers of the legs of the shoe, the heel hooks and centrally disposed hooks coacting in forming two compartments in the shoe to receive the stake and permit ringers of different values to be scored.

A further object is to provide a pitching horseshoe having calks of rounded contour to permit the shoe to slide over obstructions, such as shoes lying contiguous to the target stake.

A further object is to provide a pitching horseshoe having the shoe itself tapered, or the heel calks and hooks tapered, or both, to provide a shoe of nicer balance than hitherto obtainable.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a pitching horseshoe constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the shoe.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic View showing three positions which the shoe may assume relatively to the target stake.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a rear elevation of the shoe shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 1! of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a top plan View of another modified form of the invention.

Figure 9 is a rear elevation of the shoe shown in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a longitudinal section taken on the line Ill-l of Figure 8.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, the pitching horseshoe I0 is shown to be tapered from the toe to the bight as best seen by referring to Figure 2 to provide nicety of balance, although the shoe may be of uniform thickness throughout if desired. At the extreme ends of the parallel legs the shoe is provided with heel hooks I I and between the heel hooks and the toe of the shoe, intermediate hooks I2 are provided, the latter being of greater length than the former and coacting with the heel hooks in providing two separate compartments in the shoe to receive the target stake l3. The purpose of the two compartments is that when a ringer is scored in either compartment a score for the ringer commensurate with the accuracy of the pitch may be recorded that is, the ringer in which the target stake is positioned in the outer compartment may count three, and a ringer in which the target stake is positioned in the inner compartment may count four as indicated in the middle view of the three diagrammatic views shown in Figure 4.

It will be observed by referring to Figure '1 that the rear edges M of the heel hooks are inclined forwardly toward the axis of the shoe, and the forward edges of these hooks are rounded as shown at IS. The purpose of this construction is to permit the shoe being guided accurately over the stake when the open end of the shoe is aligned correctly with the stake, should the stake strike against oneof the inclined surfaces I4. The rounded edges l5 form seats in which the stake may lodge to prevent escape of the shoe from the stake.

Likewise the long intermediate hooks 12 are provided with inclined rear edges l6 and curved forward edges ll forming pockets for the purpose respectively of guiding the shoe accurately on to the stake and preventing escape of the shoe from the stake. As shown in Figure 4, more particularly, the diagrammatic view on the right of the series of three views, should the shoe be pitched in the direction of the arrow head so that the open end will approximately pass over the stake near enough to assure a ringer being made, the inclined rear edges [6 of one of the intermediate hooks may strike the stake and guide the shoe forwardly over the stake so that the stake lodges in the bight of the shoe to form the ringer and register four points as shown by the central figure of three diagrammatic views in Figure 4.

By again referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that the shoe is provided with heel calks l8 and with a toe calk l9 and the surfaces of these calks are rounded to permit the shoe sliding over obstructions such as other shoes pitched to within 55 close proximity of the target stake. The calks in the preferred embodiment are preferably formed substantially semiconical, and the longitudinal axes of the heel calks are disposed parallel with the axis of the shoe. As shown best in Figure 3 the thickened ends of the calks are turned toward the toe of the shoe while the reduced ends are turned toward the heel of the shoe, to promote sliding over obstructions when the shoe is pitched with itsopen end registering with the target stake.

In Figure 5 there is shown a modification of the pitching horseshoe in which the shoe 20 is provided with heel hooks 2i and intermediate hooks 22 of greater length than-the heel hooks. The heel hooks however, in this embodiment, are tapered in thickness, the thickened ends of the hooks merging with heel calks 23 asbestshown in Figure 6. Also the longitudinal axes of the hooks extend obliquely with respect to the plane of the shoe as shown in said figure. In this embodiment the heel calks 23 and the toe calk 24 are formed substantially as described in connection with the preferred form of the invention. The purpose of tapering the heel hooks is to promote better balance of the shoe.

In Figure 8 there is shown a modified form of the invention in which the pitching shoe 25 is provided with heel hooks 26 and with intermediate hooks 21 of greater length than the heel hooks. In this embodiment of the invention however the heel hooks are tapered from the legs of the shoe toward the tip ends and the thick ends merge with the heel calks 28. The axes of the hook extend below .and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shoe. In this embodiment also the particular construction of the heel hooks promote better balance. The toe calk 29 isvsimilar to the toe calks above described.

In the forms of the invention shown in Figures 5 to 10 inclusive the bases of the heel calks are of greatest area at the leg of the U member and extend across the leg as shown best by dotted lines in Figure 5. Some players pitch a shoe so that the heel calks hit the ground while the toe calk is some height above the ground. This type of heel calk just described prevents the heel of the shoe, under such circumstances, from sticking in the ground and permits the shoe to slide far enough to flatten out.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of my invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

.1. A pitching horseshoe having toe and heel calks of substantially semi-conical contour, the longitudinal axes of the heel calks being dis- .posed parallel with the axis of the shoe, the

thick ends of the heel calks being turned toward the 'toe of the shoe while the reduced ends are turned toward :theheel of the shoe to promote sliding over obstructions when the shoe is .pitched with its open end registering with the target.

-2. A pitching horseshoe having toe and heel calks of substantially semi-conical contour, the longitudinal axes of the heel calks being disposed parallel with the axis of the shoe, the thick ends of the heel calks beingturned toward the toe of the shoe while the reduced ends are turned toward the heel of the shoe to promote sliding over obstructions when the shoe is pitched with its open end registering with the target, and hooks near the centers of 'the sides of the shoe, the hooks having inclined rear edges and curved forward edges, the said forward edges forming pockets for preventing escape of the shoe from the target'stake and said rear edges being adapted to guide the shoe accurately on to the target stake.

WILLIAM FRANKLIN MADISON. 

